Murshidabad : Days after violence erupted in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district over protests related to the Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, Director General of Police (DGP) Rajeev Kumar assured the public that the situation is now under control.
“The situation is fully under control,” DGP Kumar told reporters on Sunday, following days of unrest that left three people dead and several injured.
Jangipur Superintendent of Police Ananda Roy also reported signs of improvement in the region. In Suti, 71 people have been arrested, and 67 in Samserganj. The situation is improving steadily. I urge everyone not to believe in rumours. We made multiple arrests yesterday and will continue to take action against those involved in the violence.
In total, West Bengal Police have arrested 150 individuals in connection with the clashes. Police forces have been deployed in the most affected areas — including Samserganj, Dhuliyan, and Suti — to restore law and order.
Meanwhile, BJP MP from Purulia, Jyotirmay Singh Mahato, has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to declare four West Bengal districts — Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia, and South 24 Parganas — as ‘disturbed areas’ under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), citing what he called a worsening security situation and alleging targeted violence against the Hindu community.
Mahato said, “For several days now, the situation in these districts resembles what Jammu & Kashmir went through in the 1990s, where Hindus were forced to migrate. I have requested the Union Home Minister to implement AFSPA and hand over the situation to central forces. If not addressed, this could escalate into a Syria- or Bangladesh-like scenario.”
Responding to the unrest, a special bench of the Calcutta High Court on Saturday ordered the immediate deployment of central forces in Murshidabad. The court was acting on a PIL filed by West Bengal Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, seeking central intervention and an NIA probe into the violence.
Advocate Anish Mukherjee, representing Adhikari, told reporters, “For several days now, widespread violence has been reported across West Bengal, particularly in Murshidabad, linked to the protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act.”
The High Court has also directed both the state and central governments to submit detailed status reports on the situation. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on April 17.
